Cooper strikes late to claim El Capitan for FCD

Frisco, TX (Sports Network) - Kenny Cooper struck at the death to see FC
Dallas claim El Capitan with a 3-2 victory over the Houston Dynamo on
Saturday.

FC Dallas had taken the lead in the first half with two goals in quick succession thanks to George John and Andrew Jacobsen, but Houston answered late in the second half with two goals in the span of four minutes as Andrew Driver and Brad David leveled the proceedings.

The home side ultimately claimed the edge in the Texas derby with Cooper
producing the late goal to see Dallas earn its second win of the season,
leaving the club with six points through three matches. The Dynamo have
dropped two in a row to remain on three points.

Houston had the better of play in the early going and nearly went in front in
the 21st minute when Giles Barnes broke free on goal. The English midfielder
had a wide-open Will Bruin trailing at the back post but elected to fire a
shot on goal himself, only to be denied by Raul Fernandez.

FC Dallas settled into the match and eventually claimed a two-goal advantage
before halftime.

The opener came in the 34th minute when John flicked Michel's free kick into
the bottom corner following a fortuitous deflection from Bobby Boswell.

Less than two minutes later, Dallas doubled its advantage when Jacobsen
wriggled free of Ricardo Clark to get on the end of David Ferreira's corner
kick and guide the finish into the upper corner.

Houston pulled one back 11 minutes from time, capitalizing on some sloppy
defending from the home side. Kofi Sarkodie slipped between two defender to
keep the ball in play along the endline before picking out Driver. The rookie
marked his MLS debut with a fine finish, sending his shot off the underside of
the crossbar and into the back of the net.

The Dynamo pulled level four minutes later when Driver's centering pass was
brushed aside by Fernandez, but Davis was arriving to slot home the rebound
and break FC Dallas hearts.

Those hearts were mended in the dying moments of the match as Cooper played
the role of the hero on the stroke of 90 minutes. The Dallas striker latched
on to Michel's cross to the back post, controlled the delivery with his
shoulder and popped a finish past the on-rushing Tally Hall to seal all three
points.